Irish Independent Cinemas Break Attendance Records with Blockbuster Weekend
Barbie generated a remarkable €21m in revenue in Ireland and the UK, while the film Oppenheimer, featuring Cillian Murphy, recorded an impressive €12m opening weekend.
Unsurprisingly, the family-friendly film Barbie, with its 12A rating and extensive marketing campaign, attracted a larger audience compared to the 18-rated, three-hour historical biopic Oppenheimer, shot predominantly in black and white.
Two independent arthouse cinemas in Ireland, The Light House in Dublin and Pálás in Galway, both part of the Lighthouse Group, experienced their busiest weekends ever, thanks to the overwhelming success of the “Barbenheimer” frenzy.
Over the weekend, The Light House welcomed a total of 6,318 moviegoers, while Pálás saw 2,623 customers attending the “Barbenheimer” weekend.
The Light House emerged as the top-performing cinema for Oppenheimer screenings in 35mm format across Ireland and the UK.
Alice Black, Head of Programming at the Light House, expressed, “Our customers and staff fully embraced these two films, whether it was staying up past midnight for the first 35mm screening of Oppenheimer, joining a Barbie breakfast at 8am, or donning something pink from the back of their closets. The weekend was filled with a sense of occasion, reminding everyone of the pure joy of going to the movies.”
Will Fitzgerald, Programmer at Pálás, declared that this blockbuster weekend marked “not only the biggest opening weekend of the year, but also the most successful weekend at the Ireland-UK box office in over four years.”
Fitzgerald highlighted the extensive preparations made in the past few months, including screenings of films from each director’s filmography, themed events, and collaboration with distribution partners to provide additional offerings to customers, such as the 35mm print of Oppenheimer.
The phenomenon of “Barbenheimer” gained traction when it was announced that both films would be released on July 21. Despite their divergent themes, fans planned double features of both movies, with some even attending Barbie screenings dressed in pink outfits.
Notably, director Greta Gerwig achieved a personal record with Barbie, which became the highest-grossing North American opening for a film directed by a woman, earning $162m (€146m) and surpassing the $153m (€138m) debut of the MCU’s Captain Marvel, co-directed by Anna Bolden.
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